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24 thoughts on “The Derringer Pictures”

Hmmm… most internet sites say that the Booth derringer was .44 caliber, but a close look at the FBI picture of the muzzle above looks like a 10mm diameter which would make the actual caliber closer to a .41 caliber. Any thoughts on this? I was just wondering…..

I’m afraid I’m not a firearms expert. I can say that practically every source I have read states that the deringer is a .44 caliber weapon. Most seem to believe that Booth used a .41 or .42 caliber bullet in the weapon due to the inclusion of the wading.

Tom,
Do you have a specific reference that indicates that the original deringer was sold as a .41 caliber?

The information in this thread indicates that a book was being written regarding Booth’s weapons. I don’t know if it has come out yet. It would be good to know the book’s status and where it can be obtained, when it is available…

The derringer that did in President Lincoln is a .44 caliber, but Booth used a .41 caliber ball, which is held in the National Museum of Health and Medicine in its new location in Silver Spring, Maryland. Another unique thing about Booth’s derringer was found in the 1990s when the FBI examined the pistol. Its rifling (seven grooves inside the barrel) are counter-clockwise.

Relative to the smaller size of the ball, I believe it had something to do with the derringers being built to accept bullets from .30 caliber up to about .50 caliber. Again, like Dave, I’m no firearms expert.

There is a member of the Surratt Society, however, that is putting the finishing touches on a book entitled Tools of the Assassin. Wes Harris hopes to have it on the market in 2014.

I do have contact with Wes, but it is our policy to not give out information without permission. If you will email me at laurie.verge@pgparks.com, I will forward your information on to him. It would help if you would give a small indication of why you are seeking information on the derringer. I try not to jeopardize anyone’s research.

John,
I can understand the confusion especially since the sources are not consistent in giving the caliber of the pistol or the lead ball. Since every Henry Deringer pistol was handmade, the size of the pistol and its caliber can vary from weapon to weapon. It’s hard to tell from the FBI photo, but it’s actually closer to .44 caliber. A ball of about .41 caliber was ideal for the weapon; anything larger would be very difficult to ram down the barrel. Each pistol had its own bullet mold for that very reason. My email address is campruston@gmail.com.

I believe Wes Harris to be correct. I have shot different kinds of muzzle loading pistols and rifles. I have built a few. The Derringer that killed Lincoln, I believe was definitely a .44. Cal. The lands are slightly larger than the grooves by approx. 3/100ths of an inch. It would have very difficult to ram a patched .44
cal. ball down the barrel. A patched .41 cal. ball was probably the bullet that killed Lincoln. That is my opinion and I believe it to be correct.

Looking at the older photos vs the more modern images, it appears at some point a person tightened the screw on the derringer’s side plate. Are you aware of any restoration and/or maintenance that has been done to this piece over its history?

Wesley Harris is the expert on the derringer and the rest of Booth’s arsenal. He’s working on a book about the weapons of the assassins. All I know I’ve learned from him. If memory serves me, at some point the screw which held the hammer in place fell out. It was replaced with a wood screw about the same time as when the wood stock around the barrel was repaired. Maybe Wes will see this and chime in with more.

The earliest photos of the pistol show the head of the screw missing. We don’t know if it was like that when Booth had it. Some time in the 60s or 70s, the broken screw was replaced with a common wood screw. There was talk at one time of replacing it with a genuine Deringer screw but the NPS decided not to do so. Note some of the photos show a string–that was to keep from losing the hammer with the defective screw.

Thanks for the responses. However, I’m referring to the screw of the side plate, a short way to the left of the “Deringer/Philadelphia” inscription. I’m sure it isn’t a consequential detail, just something I noticed. Again, Thanks!

Sir; I respect your knolege on the subject. However, I am sorry to tell you, I never changed anything on any historic firearm that I have worked on. I only did the exams requested by NPS. This deringer was keep as recieved. I did one additional exam which was to make a cast of the barrel which was returned to the NPS.

No Sir, I never took the gun apart. It had been worked on well before it was submitted to me. I examined the deringer every way possible. I made a full cast of the barrel which had never been done in the past. If I knew how to post the picture here I would.

I don’t have a specific reference, but I’ve been collecting guns for over fifty years and cannot recall anything other than .41 being the caliber of the Philadelphia Derringer. I will attempt to locate some specific references so I can adequately respond to your question. You must understand that the actual bore diameter is frequently different from the listed caliber of any weapon. The well-known .38 Speciial bullet is actually .357 inches.

Here is a reference from a magazine article about the history of Henry Deringer’s gun: http://gunsmagazine.com/henry-deringers-pocket-pistol/
You could do some additional Googling yourself. While some of the original Deringer/Derringer pistols may have been made in different calibers, I’m pretty certain the Lincoln pistol was the classic .41 caliber.

from fbi.gov article about the authenticity of the gun and its caliber. Indicating the caliber would fluctuate with the firearm. ‘the Deringer pistol’s non-martial status was underscored by the lack of a standardized caliber among pistols of its make. Because each paired set of Deringer pistols included a bullet mold specific to the caliber of the two matching pistols, loss of this mold virtually precluded the proper fit of ammunition for the paired set.”

ACCORDING TO A REPLY FROM ALLISON DIXON OF THE FORD MUSEUM THE DERRINGER WAS AT HARPER’S FERRY CONSERVATION CENTER IN 1965 WHICH IS WHEN IT IS ESTIMATED THE SCREW WAS REPLACED TO PREVENT THE LOSS OF THE HAMMER. THERE IS AN EARLY 1900s PHOTO POSTCARD SUBMITTED BY ME THAT SHOWS THE ORIGINAL SCREW INTACT. A NOTE FOUND WITH THE PHOTO STATES “GIVEN TO ME BY THE SECRETARY OF THE COURT MARTIAL WHO TRIED BOOTH FOR THE MURDER OF LINCOLN”. ON THE BACK OF THE POSTCARD IS WRITTEN INOLD BROWN INK “NOT TO BE REPUBLISHED, PHOTOGRAPHED, OR COPIED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER.”

Dave & Kate’s Speaking Engagements in 2019

Want to come heckle BoothieBarn authors Dave & Kate Taylor in person? Here are some of our public speaking engagements planned for the future.

Date: Saturday, April 6, 2019Location: Perryville branch of the Cecil County Library (500 Coudon Blvd. Perryville, MD 21903)Time: 1:00 pmmSpeech: The Making of an Assassin: The History of John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: How did John Wilkes Booth go from celebrated actor to villainous assassin? In his speech, Dave will recount the life of John Wilkes Booth and what led him to the Presidential box at Ford’s Theatre.Cost: Free

Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2019Location: Lynchburg Civil War Round Table (4009 Murray Place, Lynchburg, Virginia 24501)Time: 7:45 pmSpeech: The Making of an Assassin: The History of John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: How did John Wilkes Booth go from celebrated actor to villainous assassin? In his speech, Dave will recount the life of John Wilkes Booth and what led him to the Presidential box at Ford’s Theatre.Cost: Cost for the talk is $5. Guests are also welcome to come for the buffet dinner starting at 7:00 pm but the cost for that is $25. Information can be found at: https://www.historicsandusky.org/lcwrt

Date: Sunday, May 5, 2019Location: Thomas Stone National Historic Site (6655 Rose Hill Rd, Port Tobacco, MD 20677)Time: TBDSpeech: Frederick Stone: A Life of Service and SecretsSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: Frederick Stone was the great nephew of Thomas Stone, one of the Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence. Though he never knew his illustrious relative, Frederick lived for a time at his great uncle’s estate of Haber-de-venture before being educated in the law. His lifetime of public service would lead him from lawyer to commissioner to delegate to judge. Along the way, however, Frederick Stone became involved in one of the most traumatic events in our nation’s history: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In his speech, researcher Dave Taylor will explore the life of Frederick Stone and the secrets he carried with him about the death of Abraham Lincoln.Cost: Free

Date: Sunday, June 2, 2019Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: “Born Under an Unlucky Star”: The Childhood of John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: In this speech, Dave will examine the boyhood of John Wilkes Booth – his familial relationships, his time growing up at Tudor Hall and in Baltimore, and his early education. More information can be found at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall

Date: Sunday, July 7, 2019Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: “Brides of Bluebeard”: The Women Who Loved John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Kate TaylorDescription: John Wilkes Booth was a Romeo both on and off the stage. In her speech, Kate will address some of the romantic relationships that defined the handsome actor who went on to assassinate President Lincoln. More information can be found at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2019Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: “Brides of Bluebeard”: The Women Who Loved John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Kate TaylorDescription: John Wilkes Booth was a Romeo both on and off the stage. In her speech, Kate will address some of the romantic relationships that defined the handsome actor who went on to assassinate President Lincoln. More information can be found at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall

Date: Sunday, October 13, 2019Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: “Born Under an Unlucky Star”: The Childhood of John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: In this speech, Dave will examine the boyhood of John Wilkes Booth – his familial relationships, his time growing up at Tudor Hall and in Baltimore, and his early education. More information can be found at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall